When should you clear your gutters?
Most people only think about their gutters when water is pouring over the edge. By then the clear is overdue. Here's what to look and listen for, and when in the year to get it done.
The short answer
Clear them after the leaves have come down in late autumn, and again in spring if your house is near trees. Don't wait for a set date if you see the signs below: water spilling over the edge, plants growing in the gutter, or stains running down the wall.
The signs your gutters are blocked
You can check most of these from the ground, ideally while it's raining or just after.
- Overflowing: water spills over the front edge instead of running to the downpipe.
- Dripping: a steady drip from a joint or corner long after the rain has stopped.
- Growth: grass, moss or seedlings sprouting along the gutter line.
- Staining: dark streaks or green patches on the wall below the gutter.
- Sagging: a section that dips or has pulled away from the fascia under the weight.
- Birds: nesting material or birds coming and going at the roofline.
The best time of year
Late autumn is the main one. Once the trees are bare, everything that's going to land in your gutters has landed, so a clear then sets you up for the wettest months.
Spring is the second. Winter storms wash moss off the roof and into the gutters, and seeds and blossom follow. Homes under or beside trees often need both visits; homes on an open street usually manage with one.
To confirm with Blue Shield: Blue Shield's own recommended interval for a typical home and for one near trees, so this guide and the cost guide give the same advice.
What happens if you leave them
A blocked gutter doesn't just overflow. The water it spills soaks the brickwork, finds its way into the wall cavity and shows up inside as damp. The fascia board behind the gutter stays wet and starts to rot, and the extra weight of sodden debris pulls brackets loose.
In winter it's worse: standing water freezes, expands and splits joints. What would have been a clear becomes a repair.
Clear, repair or replace?
Most blocked gutters just need clearing. If a clear doesn't stop the leak, the problem is usually a failed joint or a section that has lost its fall, and those can often be repaired.
When the gutters are cracked along their length, brittle with age, or the fascia behind them has rotted, replacement is the better spend. Our guide to capping versus replacing explains how that choice is made.
Questions we're asked
Can I clean my own gutters?
On a bungalow, with a sound ladder, someone to foot it and gloves, many people do. Above single storey it's a different matter, and a fall from a ladder is a serious one. We clear first-floor and higher gutters from the ground with a gutter vacuum, or from a ladder or Easi-Dec platform set up safely.
What's the best month to have gutters cleaned?
November or December, once the leaves are down, is the best single month for most homes. If you're near trees, add a second clear in spring.
How do I know if a gutter needs replacing rather than clearing?
If it still leaks after a clear, has cracks along its length, sags between brackets, or the board behind it is soft or rotten, it's time to look at replacement. We'll tell you which it is when we're up there.
Do you check the downpipes too?
Yes. A clear gutter is no use if the downpipe is blocked, so we check that water runs freely all the way down and clear any blockage we find.
Where we work
Based in Southampton, we cover Hampshire and the South Coast. Not on the list? Ask us: we cover the whole South Coast.
- Aldershot
- Andover
- Basingstoke
- Eastleigh
- Emsworth
- Fareham
- Farnborough
- Fleet
- Gosport
- Havant
- Hedge End
- Horndean
- Hythe
- Locks Heath, Warsash and Whiteley
- New Milton
- Portsmouth
- Southampton
- Stubbington
- Totton
- Winchester
Get a free gutter cleaning quote
Tell us about your property and we'll arrange a visit to survey it and give you an exact price. It costs nothing.